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On Tuesday April 11, NRRA Executive Director, Reagan Bissonnette, attended the Environmental Business Council of New England (EBC) 9th Annual Talking Trash Conference for Northern New England. NRRA was a conference partner along with the Solid Waste Association of North America for the event, and Reagan served on the conference planning team. This year, Reagan suggested that the conference highlight concrete solutions to solid waste problems, rather than focus mostly on the problems. The group agreed and identified three main topics to cover: municipal solid waste, organics, and soils and sludge. While introducing the conference...

This year for Earth Day, NRRA Executive Director, Reagan Bissonnette, was interviewed on responsible recycling. In the spirit of recycling, we wanted to share the interview with you as well. You can find more responsible recycling answers in our Recycle Right pages! While recycling has become commonplace for most households in the United States, many people still have a very casual attitude toward it. What’s your point of view on the importance of individuals playing their part to recycle! One person can make a difference when it comes to recycling. Each piece you recycle - no matter how small - adds up. Take, for example, a single...

The Solid Waste Working Group (SWWG) met on March 31st. The meeting featured three presentations about food waste diversion initiatives. University of NH presented on their composting program in Durham, NH. Food waste from campus cafeterias and bedding from their equine program is combined to create compost for use on UNH farm fields. To reduce contamination, UNH has food services staff, rather than students and faculty, separate food scraps in campus cafeterias. Elm City Compost Initiative, a residential compost collection service in Keene, NH, presented from their perspective. Specifically, the owner shared three ideas for how New...

The NRRA Board of Trustees has welcomed Littleton Solid Waste Manager, Steve Bean, and Lancaster Town Manager, Ben Gaetjens-Oleson to the Board! We at NRRA are grateful for dedicated and experienced Board Members, such as Steve and Ben, who are committed to NRRA's mission of partnering to make recycling strong through economic and environmentally sound solutions. Steve has worked at the Littleton Transfer Station since 2014, becoming Lead Attendant in 2017, and Manager in February of 2021. He was awarded the NRRA Rookie of the Year in 2021 and most recently came in 2nd place in NHTB Engage the Residents contest! Working in...

The second of three summits aimed at Increasing Construction and Demolition Debris Diversion in Coos County, NH was held earlier in March 2023. The project is funded in part by a EPA Healthy Communities grant. The first summit was held in December 2022. The NRRA Member Services team, along with NRRA's Executive Director, spent two days in Coos County presenting at the summit, and then taking part in tours of a local landfill and transfer station. The second summit was open to Coos County Transfer Station operators and staff, selectmen, town administrators, Public Works staff, and so on. The goal was to share answers to several...

In the fall of 2022, NRRA launched a new project aimed at Increasing Construction and Demolition Debris Diversion in Coos County, NH. The project is funded in part by a EPA Healthy Communities grant, and the first of three summits was held in December 2022. The NRRA Member Services team, along with our Executive Director, spent two days in Coos County presenting at the initial summit, and then taking part in site visits at two Coos County NRRA Member transfer stations. The first summit was limited solely to transfer station operators and was focused on providing an initial presentation on C&D and then gathering information about...

Cooperative Purchasing Program – Black Plastic Gaylords NRRA works with Mills Industries in Laconia NH who custom-makes black plastic gaylords for NRRA members. These lightweight, durable and long-lasting gaylords are great for storing recyclables such as plastics, aluminum, and steel cans prior to baling. They come with a lid, so they can be stacked, and are made of #5 polypropylene. NRRA Cooperative Purchasing Gaylord Facts: In January 2023, NRRA Members purchased 50 gaylords with lids Cost to Members was $217.99 each 2 of the 3 communities that purchased these gaylords applied for a grant through NH the Beautiful to cover the...

Do you have a load of recycling ready for the end of the month? It may be in your best interest to hold it for a bit. If your municipality markets their baled materials such as mixed paper and cardboard (also known in the industry as "fibers"), plastics, steel, and aluminum cans through NRRA, you may have noticed some fluctuation when it comes to pick up times, hauling fees, and pricing depending on the time of month that you request your baled material pickup. For some, holding onto a recycling load any longer than absolutely necessary is more of a headache than it's worth - you may want it moved and an additional cost isn't an...

On February 15, Executive Director, Reagan Bissonnette, and Communications Manager, Andrea Folsom, headed to Boston for a celebration of U.S. EPA - New England Region 1 Healthy Communities grants that were completed last year. We heard from nine grant recipient organizations covering everything from food waste, energy management, childhood lead exposure, mold and mildew in rentals, community leadership and engagement activities, and more. Though projects may have differed, the through-line of helping one community, one person, one day at a time adds up to big changes and healthier communities. We also had the opportunity to lunch...

Have you ever wondered what our Member Services team does? Made up of our Member Services Manager, Brian Patnoe, and Senior Member Services Representative, Bonnie Bethune, they have over 60+ years of recycling and solid waste management experience to pull from. Together, their department offers cooperative marketing and purchasing, along with ongoing technical assistance to member communities through email, phone, and in-person site visits. They put together member-only market updates, and answer common member inquiries such as recycling trends, proper processing techniques, or market specifications. Recently, the Member Services...